Commercial embryo transfer in polo ponies in Argentina

Abstract

Summary Different techniques in an embryo transfer programme were studied under field conditions on polo pony mares in Argentina. Comparisons were made between embryo recovery rates from donor mares inseminated before or after ovulation, between two embryo recovery methods and between two embryo transfer methods. In addition, pregnancy rates were compared among recipients that received an embryo on 1, 2 or 3 occasions. Also, embryo recovery and pregnancy rates were compared in mares that underwent successive embryo recovery attempts. The findings suggest that the success of embryo transfer performed under field conditions is enhanced by inseminating mares before ovulation, recovering embryos with an in‐line filter method and transferring the embryo into the uterine horn instead of the uterine body. Differences in pregnancy rates for recipient mares that had received embryos on 1, 2 or 3 occasions were not significant. Embryo recovery rates and pregnancy rates after transfer were not significantly different in mares in which embryo recovery attempts were performed between 1 and 10 times.

Effect of the Flunixin Meglumine on Pregnancy Rates in an Equine Embryo Transfer Program

“…In the present study, the PR obtained at 15 days of gestation (75.22% in FM group and 70.95% in the control) and 60 days (65.22% in FM group and 65.92% in control), values that corroborate with other studies [23][24][25][26][27][28]. However, FM did not decrease the PR as found by the experiments by Resende [14] and Caiado et al [15].…”

Equine embryo transfer: review of developing potential

“…Equine ET finally achieved a commercial scale in the early 1990s in Argentina, where it was developed as a means of producing offspring from the best polo pony mares without terminating their competitive careers (Pashen et al 1993;Riera and McDonough 1993). Critically, it quickly became apparent that horse embryos could be transferred nonsurgically with similar success to surgical ET, as long as enough carefully selected recipient mares were available and the operator had sufficient experience and dexterity to manoeuvre a transfer pipette aseptically and atraumatically through the cervix of a dioestrous mare.…”

Cryopreservation of Equine Embryos: Current State‐of‐the‐Art

“…From a practical perspective, the most important breakthroughs were the development of techniques for non‐surgical transfer of embryos that yielded pregnancy rates >80%, not only for freshly recovered embryos (Vogelsang et al. 1985; Riera and McDonough 1993; McKinnon et al. 1998), but also for embryos transported at 5°C for up to 24 h (Carnevale et al.…”

“…The rapid expansion in equine ET has been driven jointly by technical developments and regulatory changes. From a practical perspective, the most important breakthroughs were the development of techniques for non-surgical transfer of embryos that yielded pregnancy rates >80%, not only for freshly recovered embryos (Vogelsang et al 1985;Riera and McDonough 1993;McKinnon et al 1998), but also for embryos transported at 5°C for up to 24 h (Carnevale et al 1987;Carney et al 1991); that embryos can be cooled and transported appreciable distances without harming pregnancy rates has made ET more accessible. The regulatory changes that have supported growth in equine ET include the relaxation, by a number of influential studbooks, of rules that had previously limited registration to one foal per genetic mother per year.…”